Former Butler player Andrew Smith has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Former Butler basketball player Andrew Smith's professional basketball career has been interrupted by a serious health scare.

Smith has returned from Lithuania after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, according to his agent. Smith had began playing for the Eurocup team, the Neptunas, in September.

Since returning to Indianapolis, Smith has started treatment to combat the cancer. His return to the Neptunas – or professional basketball at all, for that matter – remains uncertain until the treatment is complete.

According to the National Cancer Institute, 69,740 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma were diagnosed in 2013. Neither Smith nor his family intend to comment on the matter until "there is news to report," according to Sam Porter, Smith's agent.

But a blog posted by Andrew's wife, Samantha, further details the couple's startling turn of events just months after settling in overseas.

"An adventure that was supposed to kick off our marriage into a whirlwind of experience and culture was cut short when we were sat down at our kitchen table in Lithuania and were told there was a sizable tumor taking shape inside of Andrew," she writes. "Shock, dismay, sadness, fear, and an emergency flight home were our next 36 hours.

"We had dreamt of the joyous day of setting foot on US ground once again, but this is certainly not what we had pictured. It was hard to be excited about reuniting with our loved ones because we knew that those hugs would be brief before heading straight to the hospital from (Chicago's) O'Hare (Airport)."

"A few days into tests, scans, and sleepless nights in the hospital, we received my sweet guy's diagnosis," she continues. "Andrew has a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is more common (and curable) in young children. In hearing the diagnosis, we felt like we were taking blow after blow."

Through five games with the Neptunas, Smith was averaging 6.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

The Zionsville, Ind., native played in 134 career games in his four years at Butler, starting 103. He played in national title games with the Bulldogs in 2010 and '11 and stands 25th on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,147 points. He is also 12th on the school's all-time rebounds list with 648.

As a senior last season, Smith averaged 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for a team that reached the third round of the NCAA tournament. Smith graduated last spring and married his longtime girlfriend, Stage, over the summer.

Zac Keefer also writes for The Indianapolis Star.